Legends
by Gorsecloud
Summary: A Pokemon: Mystery Dungeon Fanfic. [AU] Old friends, new friends, and friends left behind, this story weaves a tale of mistakes and redemption, kindness and hatred, and the kind of friendship that is as old as time itself.
1. Prolouge

**Legends: A Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Fanfic**

_Special thanks to:_

_Leafpool  
Shario & Shuigi  
Schitz  
Littlecloud  
Autumn  
Angelfur  
mistintherain  
and yes,  
Colex the Silent Kunoichi, even though she won't read this fic._

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Disclaimer: I don't own the Mystery Dungeon concept, or Pokemon. 

Prologue

Rocks covered the hillside, occasionally dispersed by hardy green bushes or plants. The jagged stones of the boulderfield made a challenge for an adventurous climber, the array of stones making for tricky footing, not to mention the occasional dirt-packed hollow or sandy pool where water collected. In the middle of one of these many stone hollows, a huddled form lay.

Suddenly, its eyes snapped open.

_Oww... headache_ it thought as it sat up, reaching up to rub the top of its head. But as it did so, it lost its balance and fell over.

_What in the..._ it thought, shocked. It looked down at its feet. Then it froze. Something was wrong. This couldn't be happening. A clear pool lay at the edge of the rocky hollow. It ran to it, looking into the water, hoping against hope that it wouldn't see what it thought it would see.

A Mudkip's face stared back.

The Mudkip sat back with a bump. _How did I become a Pokemon!?_ it thought in horror.

It tried frantically to remember what had happened. To her even greater shock, only fuzzy images greeted her, and part of her seemed to _not_ want to remember. All that she could think of clearly were three things: a face she recognized but did not, the fact that she had once been a human being, and a name she somehow knew to be her own.

_Larissa._

At least she had an identity. No matter what she did though, she could not remember the face, although she knew it was important that she remembered. All that she was left with was a vague and untraceable sadness, with pangs of guilt and regret.

_Forget this,_ she thought finally, _The point is, how am I going to get back?_ Certainly not the way she had come, that was for sure.

Then as she was thinking, the ground began to shake.

_Earthquake!_ the Mudkip thought, panic-stricken. She was in one of the worst possible spots to be for an earthquake to happen. If a mudslide or rockslide started, she would be powerless to escape it. But the shaking stopped as quickly as it had come.

She let out a sigh of relief. Warily, she eyed her surroundings as the pebbles around her settled down again and billowing ripples spread across the pool.

She needed to get out of here, she realized with a jolt. Earthquakes are always followed by aftershocks or something. Just because there hadn't been a rockslide now, didn't mean there wouldn't be one then.

With this in mind, she gently got up and leaped up to the edge of the hollow. _Four legs,_ she thought absentmindedly, _This will take some getting used to._

As she reached the top, she took a moment to appreciate the scene before her, one of twisting landscapes, high mountains, vast forests, and sparkling seas. Then she leapt over the edge, leaving no evidence that she had ever been there, except for lone, dusty footprints that were soon scattered by the wind.

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**Legends is one of the most complex fics that I have ever written, and that includes fanfiction and original fiction. To put it simply, I don't know how I'm going to put all the things I've planned in here, but somehow, I'm going to, because that's how the story is going to go. Updates may take a bit, at least after the first five chapters, but hopefully, those chapters will be good ones. **

**Happy Writing**


	2. Chapter 1: Ariana :Revised:

**Here we begin again. This is the first one of the revisions I'll be doing for Legends, ones that will hopefully allow me to keep going on this story. A.k.a. I'm trying to entice my muse back over to my side. I've been reading A.N.I. (Apples Not Included, a website for my favorite fan network, Anomaly, Tales of Flame and Hoenn Chronicles), and on the forum the authors were discussing plot bunnies. Currently right now I would kill for some plot bunnies. If you could send them over... I'd like... love you all. Really. **

**Okay, all desperate humor aside, I am glad to be working on this fic again. I do love it, really. And I do hope to be going further this time, as long as I get a few of the bugs worked out...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.  
**

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**Part One: Beginnings and Ends**

_There are times in life when you aren't supposed to hang around and see the sights. You're supposed to get in there, do your job, and leave. And when you don't, it typically comes back to bite you. Hard._

_Especially when friends are involved._

* * *

**Chapter 1: Ariana**

And here it was, ending like it had just begun.

Ari came to slowly, eyes closed, feeling and hearing the world around her rather than seeing. There was grass underneath her tickling her plams. Leaves rustled as the wind blew through them, whispering in a language long forgotton. The cries of Pokemon were faint. There must not have been any nearby. The sun was warm on her skin...

_Skin..._ Something about the idea didn't seem right.

Then eyelids opening for the first time, she realized what it was. At the same time, she squinted suddenly and covered her eyes with her hands as she discovered she was staring straight up into the blazing noonday sun. Rolling over onto her stomach, Ari removed her hands from her eyes and looked down at them. It took her a few moments to accept what she was seeing, that her hands were large and pink and had five long fingers on them, not short, on the end of stubby little arms and blue.

There was no other word for it she was _back._

And yet that was all there was to it. No sudden burst of memory about her world. No bright fanfare of some kind welcoming her home. Just regrets and a lonliness she couldn't quite explain. Well, then again yeah she could.

_We cannot thank you enough for what you've done,_ the voice sounded in her mind.

Ari jumped about a foot and scrambled akwardly into a sitting position, given that she had grown used to shorter arms and in general much different body proportions.

Gardevoir hovered in front of her serenely, semi-transparent, it's face, as per usual, unreadable to Ari. But then again, Ari had never been good at reading emotions, at least in Pokemon.

Trying and failing miserably to come up with something significant, Ari finally mumbled, "Well, I guess there's nothing else to really be said then..."

Gardevoir seemed to be seeing in Ari what Ari herself didn't want to see. _I'm sorry that it was necassary for you to leave your friend. If it had been possible for it to be otherwise I would have everything to make it so._

"Yeah..." Ari wouldn't meet Gardevoir's eyes, "Do you know how she is? Karlie, I mean?" Karlie had been her partner, a cheery Chikorita who had brightened some of the gravest days.

Gardevoir paused and tilted her head ever so slightly to the side, as if listening to something.

_She is in a state of great distress,_ she said finally, _She misses you._

Ari's mouth twisted wryly, "I can imagine."

_Ariana,_ Gardevoir said, using Ari's full name. The Pokemon's voice was slightly reproachful, as if she was trying to remind Ari that blaming her would do nothing. _I came to tell you something._

"And what would that be?" Ari continued, unable to keep all the bite out of her voice as she fiddled with a bit of grass between her fingers.

_When you came to the Pokemon world, your memories were erased so that-_

"I know, I know," Ari interrupted, "So I could 'prove myself to have true courage' or whatever."

_Your memories of this world will come back. It will take a while, but soon it will be as though you never left,_ Gardevoir continued on calmly, ignoring Ari's slight outburst. Ari shrugged, still fingering the blade of grass in her hand.

"Is there going to be some kind of reverse effect, though?" she stared down at the bit of grass, "Where if I get my memories from this world back I loose the memories from the other world?" She had been saying it to say something, to keep silence from breaking out. She hadn't meant what she was asking, but when Gardevoir remained silent her head snapped up to look at the ghostly shape.

Gardevoir was blinking sympathetically down at Ari. _All memories fade, Ariana,_ she said simply, _Even if you had in your possesion all of your human memories, would you remember everything from the moment of your birth until now? Do you remember every single rescue team mission you go on? Of course not. Your mind and your heart will know what is important. And that they will keep and preserve._

Ariana looked away, fighting back tears.

_Ariana_, Gardevoir began. Ari looked back, eyes overbright. _I wish you luck in whatever you do. Perhaps you will meet your friend again someday._

Ari nodded wordlessly.

Her purpose done, Gardevoir's form began to fade.

"Bye," Ari sighed. She could have sworn Gardevoir smiled.

_Farewell._

* * *

Memories didn't come back quickly. It took a while for Ari to get used to her old proportions. Soon however, her old instincts, her human ones, started to come back. It appeared muscle memory was more efficient than mental memory. She was still glad that no one was watching her, though. She'd never have been able to look them in the eye again. 

A backpack had been lying next to her head when she had come to, and given the unliklihood that a foolish trainer would drop a backpack with the straps sized to fit her frame exactly and the fact that it was filled with things she half-recognized, as if from a dream, she assumed, correctly, that it was hers.

There had been a small hand mirror in it, and Ari had used it to look at herself for the first time in months. Even her own face seemed different. It shouldn't have, she knew that. It was the same rumpled, dusty blonde hair and green eyes that had been there last time she had seen them.

At least as far as she could tell.

After that, Ari had turned down a well-worn path (she now suspected that where she had come to was where she had first been found by Gardevoir and whoever sent her to find someone with "true courage.")

Finally, she reached a sign. She stared at it, dumbstruck, seemingly amazed by a sign of any kind of human civilization. But wait a moment... hadn't there been signs back in the other world? Yes, signs, and messages for help, and newspapers...

_Note to self: Discover mystery of Pokemon script_, she thought.

Shaking her head, she looked at the real sign, and for the first time fully comprehended what it said. It was decorated with a plain, red arrow pointing further down the path she was walking on, underneath was inscribed:

Littleroot Town

1 kilometer

_Home._ The thought resounded through her head. Her home was in Littleroot Town. Soon she would see her family again. But indeed, who was her family?

Deciding to ponder the point sometime later, Ari passed the sign and began what she supposed was the final trek home. Final damn trek home.

Ari was so engrossed in her own thoughts she didn't notice the voices ahead of her until the owners of said voices came right over the next hill. Realizing they were there, Ari froze. It was two girls, about her age. One of them seemed to be ranting to the other.

"I'm sorry Jo, but I grew up. Grew up a long, frickin' time ago. _I_ have realized by now that she's not coming back. The damn brat _ditched _us Joanne! Don't you _get_ it!?"

"Don't _say_ that," the second girl insisted, giving her companion a reproachful look, "She's our _friend._ She wouldn't just abandon us without a reason."

_"Then __**why**__ is she-" _The first girl, Danni's face was turning scarlet, but the second girl wasn't listening. The second girl had spotted Ari.

Her mouth dropped open in a perfect "o" as her eyes stretched wide. She stared dumfounded at Ari while Danni turned.

"Joanne, what the hell are you-"

Then Danni spotted Ari. Then, the girl swore even worse than before, striding down the path looking ready to kill. When she reached Ari, she stopped for a moment, breathing hard. Then, she planted a ringing slap right across her face. Ari put a hand to her stinging cheek, startled.

"Damnit, Ari, what the heck did you think you were doing!?" the girl seethed, "Everyone has been worried sick about you! No note, no message. You were just gone!"

"Danni!" the Joanne admonished, her copper curls bouncing as she ran up to them, "Ari, what happened?"

Ari blinked at her nervously, starting to feel distinctly overwhelmed, "What do mean?"

Joanne was incredulous, "Ari, are you joking? You've been gone for four months."

_Four months!?_

"Well?" Danni prompted impatiently.

_I can't tell them_, Ari realized. _They would think I'm nuts!_

She could partially tell, from the way they were acting and vauge memories, memories of talking an laughter and playing that Joanne and Danni... Danielle, her real name was... were friends, back before...

"Jo," she began akwardly, "Danni! How've you been?"

"Quit dodging the question, Ari," Danni snapped, "What _happened?_"

"It's... uh, it's... kind of a long story..." Ari trailed off lamely, not knowing what to say, and beginning to wish she could have made it all the way home before being found by people who expected her to know who she was, who they were, and act like she wasn't suffering from a temporary case of amnesia.

Danni looked like her temper was dangerously close to flying off again. Joanne, meanwhile, had a curious expression on her face, half-petulant, half-resigned. Finally the latter sighed, "Let's worry about this later. You're probably dying to be home Ari, and your mom has been worried sick, not to mention Andy and Sophie..." She caught Danni's eye breifly before turning to Ari, "Go on ahead. We'll catch up in a moment."

Bewildered, but glad to get away for a moment, Ari complied.

* * *

"What the hell was that!?" Danni snarled to Joanne quietly as Ari's back retreated from sight, "She won't even say what was so damn important that she disappered in the first place." 

Joanne sighed. She shared Danni's sentiments, but was a bit more patient than her short-tempered friend, "Come on, Danni. She just got back. She's probably hungry, probably tired. And if nothing else, you _know_ her. You know that if she doesn't want to tell you something you might be better off trying to wake up a Snorlax. She'll tell us if she's ready. And if she doesn't..." She stopped, not liking where such thoughts led her.

"Then I'm getting the damn hell out of here," Danni said hotly, "Oh, don't get me wrong, Joanne. I'm still getting the damn hell out of here. This just determines how fast that damn hell out of here is."

"Danni, come on, give it some time," Joanne said, before adding halfheartedly, "And would you please stop swearing?"

Danni rolled her eyes. "I'll say what I want. Damn. Fuck. Shit. You don't like it, deal with it."

"Danni..." Joanne sighed, but the tall, black-haired girl had already turned to head back twoards Littleroot. She wouldn't have listened anyway. She never did.

Joanne sighed again. She got what she had been wanting for weeks. Ari was finally back. But somehow... nothing seemed to be getting better.

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**And there it is. Unfortunately, I can't erase the reviews people have already done for this chapter so they could review it again if they so wanted... Well, if I can, I dun know how to do it. Still, if you could drop me a PM and let me know what you think of the updated chapter, I would really appriciate it.**

** Thanks!**

**Fallingautumnleaves  
**


	3. Chapter 2: Karlie

**By the way, this chapter includes (basically) a synopsis of the game, which may be helpful for anyone who hasn't played the game or hasn't finished the main plot. People who have played the game might be interested in seeing it from the partner's point of view, while the others might just get bored. Sorry. And I might have messed up one or two of the details. Hey, it's been a long time since I beat the main plot.

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**

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Pokemon. Haven't I made that point already? 

Chapter 2: Karlie

In the overpoweringly hot chambers of Magma Cavern, a small green Chikorita walked, her eyes determined. _Okay, _she thought, _I have a job to do here and I can't let anything get in the way._

As if to spite her, unwanted thoughts rose to the surface. _Stop it, Karlie!_ she told herself, _It's not helping!_

But as she was distracted, she didn't notice where she wasn't watching where she was walking. It was only after one of the Pokemon in the monster house let out a fierce battle cry did she notice her danger. Reacting instantly, she fired a Razor Leaf at a nearby Macargo. But before they could even reach the enemy Pokemon, the leaves were incinerated by the extreme heat. In that instant, Karlie knew she was outmatched.

_I should have known better!_ she thought in anguish, as the Pokemon in the room drew close, _I'm no good at fighting these Fire types! Ari was always better at this sort of thing, not me!_

Karlie closed her eyes and braced for the worst as a Magmar in front of her drew in breath for a Flamethrower…

Suddenly, a beam of psychic energy hit the Magmar. It went down, letting out a cry of pain. Karlie's eyes snapped open. A Flamethrower, this time coming from behind her, hit another one of the Pokemon in the monster house. By now, Karlie understood what was going on. She closed her eyes again, wishing she could sink down into the scorching-hot floor and never be found again.

_Oh, not again!_ she thought.

* * *

Karlie stomped into Pokemon Square, fuming. _Why_ had she chosen Magma Cavern, of all places? This was such a stupid mistake to make. And now everyone in Pokemon Square would see that she was dumb enough to try a rescue she couldn't handle. 

"Karlie," a voice behind her said.

Karlie whipped around, glaring, to see Alakazam watching her.

"You!" she said accusingly, "You followed me! Why can't you leave me alone? I can take care of myself without you babysitting me like a Togepi!"

"Karlie, I asked you not to go on any more of these missions by yourself. It's too dangerous," he reminded her calmly, ignoring her outburst.

"I'm part of a rescue team," she snapped, her pride rebelling, "It's what I'm supposed to do."

Alakazam gave her an odd look. "If you're part of a rescue _team_, why are you going on missions by yourself?"

Karlie blanched. Tears built up in her eyes, threatening to spill over, but she was in no mood to confide her feelings in anybody, especially Alakazam and his team members, Charizard and Tyranitar. If Ariana had been there, Karlie would have talked to her, but Ari's absence was the reason she felt so depressed these days.

"I'm going to go back to the base," she growled. Alakazam cleared his throat. Try as she might, Karlie could not keep all the bite out of her voice. "Fine. I promise not to go on any more dangerous missions."

Then, she brushed past him angrily, heading back to her team's base.

Charizard and Tyranitar, who had been silently letting their leader speak to Karlie, gave Alakazam sympathetic looks. Their friend was frustrated, and they could tell.

"Alakazam," Tyranitar said calmly, "don't worry. There's nothing more we can do. Goodness knows Karlie will need to work this one out on her own."

"I know," Alakazam murmured, staring after her, "But it feels as though there's something we should do to help."

"Why the personal interest?" Charizard asked curiously.

Alakazam shrugged. "It's always seemed like I've- _we've_ been indebted to her and Ariana since-"

"Since we chased them across the whole continent trying to capture them and kill Ari after she was falsely accused of being involved in the Ninetales legend?" Charizard interrupted, and ironic smile on his face, "Not to mention that they then defeated Groudon for us, and of course there's the fact that we _all_ owe them our lives after the comet…"

Alakazam gave what, on a lesser Pokemon, would have been a glare. "That, and it's always felt like I could have done something to predict Ariana's… untimely departure."

"That's nonsense," Tyranitar replied instantly, "Ariana herself seemed resigned to what was going to happen when she left for Sky Tower. You heard what Xatu said."

"I don't think there was any way of stopping it," Charizard reasoned, "To try would have been to try and fight forces you can't compete against."

"Exactly," Tyranitar agreed. He gave Alakazam a sympathetic look. "I know that it must feel frustrating to be so helpless in this situation," he said, "But the point is, there's nothing we could have done and nothing that we'll be able to do."

* * *

It had been Ari's house. Karlie had been the one to show her the place. And later, it had been made into their team's headquarters. So, it had made sense to Karlie, since she and Ari had founded the team together and she was a sort of co-owner, that she should move in when Ari disappeared. At least that was what Karlie had maintained. 

But the truth was there was no "Team Westwood" anymore. After Ari had disappeared back to the human world, the whole team had fallen apart over the next week. Members just turned up with their goodbyes and half-hearted promises to return ready. Several Pokemon left without any notice at all. Karlie would just be looking for them to go on a mission, only to be informed by an increasingly fewer amount of remaining members that the Pokemon she was looking for had left the previous day, or the day before that. Soon, there had been virtually none left. Karlie hadn't been able to visit all the friend areas, but she was willing to bet that the others she hadn't seen were as desolate as the ones she had.

All these thoughts fumed in Karlie's head as she paced Team Westwood's headquarters, the one that was so uncannily shaped like Ari's head. What was it about Ari's leaving that had caused all the other members to quit? Why did it feel like if the same had happened to _her_ then Ari would have been able to carry on? Why had they all abandoned her?

_Maybe it's just me_, she thought suddenly, _Maybe I'm the one who's stuck to this for too long! _

Ari had only left a week ago, and she had shocked everyone by trying to go on missions again barely two days later. Karlie had never confided the truth in anyone, that she thought that if she had kept crying about Ari leaving, she might have gone mad. So she tried to take her mind of it by doing her favorite thing: going on missions to help other Pokemon. However, all of her attempts so far had usually ended with Alakazam's team bursting in and defeating whoever Karlie was about to be trounced by. It was an embarassment.

But was she really the problem? Did she stick to something when it was too far gone?

Karlie shook her head. No, it couldn't be. She had been with this team from the very beginning. It was her job to see it though.

When Ari had first come, her arrival was like a blast of light to Karlie, showing what her future could be like and how they could be great. She had also seen the possibility of making a good friend, and so she had. And Karlie had decided to stay loyal to Ari after that day, no matter what. They had saved several Pokemon together, including a Caterpie, a Diglett, and two Magnemite. They had fought Team Meanies, a "rescue" team made up of an Ekans and a Medicham, led by Gengar. They wanted to use the profits of their "rescuing" to fund their plans of world domination. When they had planned to take advantage of the same Caterpie that Karlie and Ari had saved, and Caterpie's friend, Metapod, the two had defeated Team Meanies. Then when Zapdos had kidnapped Shirfty, the leader of another team, to the top of Mt. Thunder, they had gone after the legendary bird and got Shirfty back. And they had stuck together through it all. Then things got bumpy, on account of a stupid legend and Gengar's desire for revenge.

Long ago, a human had grabbed one of Ninetale's nine tales. Ninetales had tried to lay a curse on the human for this, but at the last moment, the human's Pokemon, Gardevoir, with disastrous consequences for the Psychic type. Ninetales, feeling remorseful about how the events had conspired, tried to talk to the human about what had happened, and possibly about saving Gardevoir. However, like a coward, the human had already fled. This had angered Ninetales, and she had made the prophecy that the human would one day be born as a Pokemon, and the world's balance would be upset.

This had not been good news for Ari. Earthquakes had already been starting when Ari had arrived, and soon, altered weather patterns had begun to form, upsetting even Legendary Pokemon. With a suggestion from Alakazam, they had visited Xatu, a wise Pokemon that lived on the Hill of Ancients and saw many things from staring directly into the sun. And he had told them that the world's balance _was_ upset, and Ari's becoming a Pokemon had something to do with this. The fact that Ari had been receiving dreams from the very same Gardevoir that Ninetales had laid the curse on hadn't helped. But when Gengar overheard what Xatu had said to them, he had told everyone. He claimed that Ari was the cause of all the natural disasters, and he convinced the town that the only way to make the natural disasters stop was to kill Ari.

Karlie could not admit honestly that she had never had any doubts, and even Ari had seemed convinced at that point that she was the human. But still, Karlie had loyally followed her friend into exile. _One of the best and worst decisions of my life, _Karlie thought.

They had run away, through deadly extremes, chased by virtually every rescue team in existence. Finally, they had reached a frozen cavern where Ninetales lived. There, Alakazam's team had caught up with them, and would have destroyed Ari, as much as they disliked doing it, if Ninetales hadn't stepped in at the last second. Ninetales then revealed that Ari was _not_ the human from the Ninetales legend. She and Ari had been allowed to go home, while Alakazam and his team had gone to fight Groudon, who was rising because of the natural disasters. Together, Ari and Karlie had eventually gone and defeated Groudon when the Legendary Pokemon proved to be too much for Alakazam and his team.

Then, Ari had found her real purpose for coming to the Pokemon world, although she hadn't told Karlie. She was there to save the world from a huge meteor that was heading right towards their world and would have destroyed it if it had hit. Together, they had journeyed to the top of Sky Tower to find Rayquaza, the only one who could destroy it. They barely made it in time.

But after that, Ari's purpose being fulfilled, she had to go home. She didn't have a choice in the matter. It was still one of the most painful things for Karlie to accept. They had been _friends_. The _best_ of friends. Why was that so easily disregarded by whoever made the decision that Ari had to go back?

Finally, Karlie sighed, coming to a halt. It was no use. She'd simply have to try to find something else to do tomorrow. Part of her wondered vaguely _what_ she was going to do, as no one seemed to think she could go on missions any more, and it wasn't like there was anything else she could do.

Sunlight hit her face suddenly. Starting, Karlie came back down to earth and looked around. It was already sunset. This wasn't the first time she had spent hours pacing around the team base, but it was still a shock when it happened.

_I better get some rest,_ she thought, _I'll see what I can do tomorrow._

And she lay down, in a house shaped like her best friend's head, and drifted off to a world that nothing, save a Dream Eater, could touch.

* * *

**Guys, just a warning, I'm not going to give you little bits like "major foreshadowing here," or "this is a really important chapter" because, in real books, the authors wouldn't be able to do that, and I'm not sure they'd want to. You're not supposed to know what happens next. That's between me, my beta, and the people who I ask to edit and give me advice on it.**

**Also, I may be slowing down on the updates soon. I know I'm not that fast already, but the point is I've already pre-written the first five chapters. I may have to enforce a personal program that goes along the lines of "You cant post (chapter a) until you finish writing (chapter a+2). So I can actually finish this fanfic. Thanks for understanding!**

**Happy Writing!**


	4. Chapter 3: Littleroot Laboratory

**All right, I lied. I will tell you this much: For me, this is the chapter that makes or breaks the story. If this chapter goes down poorly, I'll have to scrap this fic. **

**Also, this is another one of the chapters that you blame fallingautumnleaves for if there are errors, because she didn't run the chap by her beta.**

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Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. P-E-R-I-O-D.

Littleroot Laboratory

Ari stood, nervously tapping her fingernails on the countertop, wondering if she was destined to end up as a percussionist at this rate. Memories were slow to come back, she had figured out that much. And they came in no chronological order whatsoever. But she had remembered enough to end up right were she was right then. Littleroot Laboratory, where almost all Hoenn trainers began their journeys. She was not destined to join them, at least not anytime soon. She was here for an entirely other reason.

When enough memories about the same thing had come back, she had figured it was important. Danni and Joanne she could understand. They had obviously been good friends before, and several of the memories she had gotten back had confirmed that. But several others had been about here. Those had been hard to explain, at first. Thankfully, memories were many, and there were enough to explain it enough to understand, even if she had only gotten a small fraction back.

It was confusing, not knowing how one used to act, not knowing if one was walking the way they used to, talking the way they used to, acting the way they used to. She had not talked to Joanne or Danni since they had shown her to her delighted mother and siblings.

But all in all, Ari had to admit, there was something startlingly familiar about this place…

* * *

_Ari, only six years old, bounced up and down in excitement, following her class into the lab. This was the coolest field trip ever! Behind her were her friends, Danielle and Joanne. She looked back at them. _

"_Come on Joanne!" she called, "Come Danielle, hurry up!"_

_Danielle scowled. "I hate that name," she grumbled._

"_So get a new one!" Joanne suggested._

"_Quiet, class!" the teacher called. Small faces turned and watched the teacher who was standing next to Professor Birch, The _real_ Professor Birch. Ari could hardly remember ever being this excited. All of the kids her age knew about him. Some were already talking about which Pokemon they were going to get in four years when they started their journey. Ari didn't know anything about journeying, but she liked Pokemon. And Professor Birch was supposed to take care of lots and lots of them!_

_Professor Birch greeted them, and wasted no time in telling them about some of his work, or at least the parts of it that they could understand._

_Danielle yawned after a while. "Boooring," she whispered._

_Ari turned around and glared at her. Maybe the science wasn't that cool, but that was rude!_

"_And now, class, Professor Birch is going to show us the starter Pokemon that he can give you when you reach ten years old," the teacher announced, causing a flurry of excited whispers to sweep through the crowd of students. Joanne was nearly squeaking with excitement. _

"_Follow me," Professor Birch called, leading them down a hall, "And don't touch_ anything _unless I say it's okay."_

_The class followed him, babbling excitedly…_

ooooooooooooo

_Ari watched the Pokemon outside Professor Birch's lab, knowing her mother would be furious if she knew Ari had snuck out again. Ari thought it was silly. She was almost nine now, and they lived in the smallest most boring town anybody could imagine. Except for the laboratory. _

_Ari just loved to visit the Pokemon there. There were so many kinds. Some trainers would leave ones that they had caught in faraway places. Ones that she couldn't see around Littleroot. _

_With a sigh, the girl turned around and headed for home. There was only so much watching that she could take for a day. She wasn't sure if she was allowed to touch any of them, and she wasn't sure if Professor Birch and his assistant liked her being around, even if all she did was look at the Pokemon. Thankfully, the twins, who were only two, had taught her something, especially with Sophie being so light a sleeper and needing absolute silence during naptime. Ari was so quiet she thought that they probably barely noticed her…_

ooooooooooooo

_Ari watched a Torchic peck at the ground quietly. She could have been a trainer by now, but she wasn't. She didn't want to leave Littleroot Town, for all that she found it boring. Joanne had said that she didn't want to and Danni really couldn't be bothered. Ari didn't want to leave either of them behind. So, she stayed._

_Suddenly, Professor Birch raced outside, the dragging the cart of Pokemon food with him. "Darn it," he grumbled, "almost got the actual mechanics of evolution figured out…"_

_Then he looked up and saw Ari standing on the lowest rung of the fence, the better to look at the Pokemon. She was still exceptionally short for ten years._

_With a sigh, he asked, "I need some help. If I show you what to do can you help me feed the Pokemon?"_

_Wait a minute… He's asking _me_ for help?! Ari realized with a jolt. She would get to get an up-close look at the Pokemon! She nodded eagerly._

_He showed her what to do and helped her for a while, correcting her mistakes, then soon after that, jumped up. "Well, I need to get back," he explained before hurrying away. Ari barely paid attention, too absorbed in the same Torchic, who was now pecking at the food right in front of her…_

ooooooooooooo

"_Ari, come _on!!!"_ Danielle shouted, "You've already been here two more hours than normal! And don't give me that excuse that you've still got something to finish. You're only here because you don't want to leave and you know it!"_

_Ari looked up. She had just been petting a Seedot that was currently at the lab, watching in fascination. She didn't want to admit that Danni was right, that the chores that Professor Birch had asked her to finish were done, but the other day, a few trainers had sent back the Pokemon that they had caught, ones that Ari hadn't seen before._

"_Do I hafta?" she whined, for all her twelve years, "There are so many new ones today!"_

"_And they'll be here tomorrow you idiot, let's go!" Danielle shouted impatiently._

"_Come on, Ari, please?" Joanne's voice echoed as well._

_Ari gave the Seedot a final pat before sighing, "Fine. Come on, Joanne, come on Danielle. Ari time is over."_

_Danielle gave her a glare, "Shoot, Ari, you know you're supposed to call me Danni now." _

"_Whatever," Ari shrugged. Danni made a rude hand sign. _

"_Danni!" Joanne admonished, as they walked away from the enclosure…

* * *

_

The pounding of Professor Birch's assistant hammering his fingers on the keyboard in annoyance brought Ari back down to earth with a bump. Seeing the quick glare he threw at her, she sighed, confirming the conclusion she had come to earlier, that he did not like her being around.

Professor Birch was out doing field research, or so she had been told. She wished he would hurry back. She didn't want to start any kind of work, because he might have instructions or want to say something to her. In any case, she was still slightly confused as to what she had done in the past. For goodness sake, how long was it going to be before she could actually go thorough a whole day not wondering if she was doing something right?

In any case, Ari didn't want to be stuck with this sourpuss of an assistant any longer than she had to be.

Finally, the assistant turned to look at her. "So what actually _happened_?" he asked coolly, "There has to be some kind of _reason_ you disappeared for four months without explanation."

Ari flinched. For some absurd reason that escaped her, her mother believed the whole "I-don't-remember-what-happened" story and chalked it down to Ari getting some kind of blow to the head. It made no sense. However, she got the impression the man in front of her right now wouldn't be so accepting.

"Well?" he prompted.

"Um," Ari attempted a feeble smile, "The thing about that is-"

"Hey!" a voice called from the back of the lab. "I finished up that field work and thought I'd come by and see how you were doing."

Professor Birch strode in through a back door, carrying a rucksack and wearing his white lab coat, although it was currently covered with bits of leaf and twig. He walked over to a desk and set the rucksack down, then started rummaging through it for reports on the morning's work.

"You wouldn't believe the things I-" he started, then glanced up. For a moment, he stared, mouth slightly open, at Ari, who, with the slightest desire to laugh, stared back.

"Well," he said finally, "Look who's back." He didn't sound pleased or displeased, just surprised. Still, his words made her feel slightly embarrassed, slightly irritated. Why did everyone have to make a big deal out of it?

"Yes," his assistant broke in dryly, "I was just asking about her four month absence. She won't say anything."

"That's a good question," Professor Birch replied, then looked at Ari expectantly.

Ari swallowed. "Well- um… uh, y- …You see…"

Professor Birch held up a hand, bringing her mumbled speech to a stop.

"Is it anything illegal or something else I don't really want to know?" he asked, looking dead serious.

Horrified, Ari shook her head. As if it would be anything like that!!

"Good." Professor Birch turned to his assistant. "Come on, you know Ari. If she doesn't want to tell you something, you're more likely to get a Snorlax to wake up. I assume you came to help?" he asked, suddenly addressing Ari.

Ari bobbed her head up and down eagerly, still a little confused, but her nervousness beginning to evaporate. "Of course I came to help!" she said, "Why else would I come? I mean- it's the reason I always came, right? To see the Pokemon? So why would I change that now? I…"

Professor Birch laughed. "Okay, okay. They're out back getting some fresh air. You go on and work back there. We'll be finishing up in here."

Nodding happily, Ari practically ran out the back door.

* * *

Ari giggled and tried hard not to flinch as several Poochyena puppies crawled over her, paws landing seemingly unintentionally in all the most ticklish places possible.

Looking around, Ari noticed the usual herds of Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip. There were also clumps of nearby Pokemon, such as the Poochyena group she was right in the middle of. There were also some Pokemon that obviously had come from a trainer who was storing their extras with Professor Birch. These, such as the Spinda that was staggering in its usual dizzy manner nearby, just walked among or around the groups or were sitting off on their own.

"Come on, you guys" Ari said, to the Poochyena, gently lifting them off and setting them down on the ground. They looked at her forlornly for a moment, but then one of the puppies yelped and tackled another, and soon the others were all in one large, squabbling pile.

Ari giggled, then walked over and climbed a tree to get an apple for the Nuzleaf that was clearly eyeing the fruit above it. Soon after that, she separated a Zangoose and a Seviper who were beginning to fight for no apparent reason apart from the fact that they both existed. She sent them to opposite sides of the enclosure and ordered them not to get any closer.

She was just petting a Skitty that was settling down for a nap when she looked up and noticed that Professor Birch had come out and was watching her. She waited until the Skitty was asleep, then got up and walked over to the fence. Curiosity pricked her like needles. He obviously had something important to say. Why else would he not be working?

"You still do like it, don't you?" he asked, as soon as she got close, "Working with the Pokemon, I mean."

"Yep," Ari grinned, leaning back on the fence and staring at the Pokemon as they played.

"You seemed nervous in the lab earlier," Professor Birch commented, "It was a bit unlike you."

"Call it identity crisis," Ari said before she could stop herself. Her hands flew to her mouth. Why had she said _that?_

But to her relief, Professor Birch only chuckled.

"Well, I was wondering. Do you still want the job?"

Ari whipped around to stare at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm talking about offering you a part-time job here," he replied, looking slightly surprised.

Ari blinked.

"I thought your leaving was your way of saying no. You can be a little…" he searched for the right word.

"Eccentric?" Ari suggested helpfully. Professor Birch laughed.

"Yes. Well, since you're back, I was still wondering if you wanted the job. If the answer's no, I understand…"

"When Pikachus breathe fire, I won't!" Ari interrupted.

Professor Birch stared at her for a moment. "That's a new one," he said finally, "Where'd you get it?"

"Spontaneous bursts of inspiration," Ari replied, nodding emphatically, "I get them sometimes."

Professor Birch laughed again. "Well," he said, suddenly serious, "I want to make sure this works out, so let's give this a trial period of two weeks, okay?"

Ari nodded.

"Good. Well, we'll talk again after that about hours and wages, if everything works out. But I don't think there's anything to worry about," he said, "And thanks for the help."

And with that, he went back inside.

Turning back to the Pokemon with a satisfied feeling, the part of her that missed Karlie gave a painful twinge.

_Come on,_ Ari told herself, _You're appreciated and useful here too! And you're not going back, so stop complaining!_

But all the same, she couldn't suppress a guilty feeling inside. She wanted to go back, and nothing would change that, not entirely.

* * *

**Did I pull it off?**

**Okay, I know you're reading! I actually look at the page hits for each chapter! I really do appreciate reviews. Please?**

**And thanks to Dark Magician Girl Aeris for reviewing every chapter so far! And for all the encouragement. And tips for people with writer's block. And lastly, for writing such a good story that I was actually encouraged, just by reading, to pick up the pencil and start writing this fic again.**

**Oh, and one thing. Typing. Is. Evil. **

**Happy Writing!**


	5. Chapter 4: Changes

**Fun chapter to write, hopefully fun to type. Good chapter for those of you who liked Danni and Joanne from Chapter 1…**

**Also, I forgot to mention in Chapter 1: Joanne wears glasses. I'll fix that sometime.

* * *

**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Technically, I don't own Ari because she was the heroine of Mystery Dungeon, I don't own Danni, because she's a Pokemon trainer, I don't own Joanne, because of later events, I don't own Karlie because she's the partner Pokemon in Mystery Dungeon, and I don't even own Larissa, who might be going through a name change, because she's turned into a Mudkip. And yes, I've been wanting to use this disclaimer for a while.

Changes 

Humming tunelessly, Ari walked out the front door of the lab, thinking of Duskulls and Ralts and Torchics. She began walking down the path, oblivious to her surroundings. She didn't notice that someone was trying to get her attention until a voice shouted in her ear "ARI!"

Her mind came back down to Earth with a bump, her eyes coming into focus to see Joanne and Danni standing right in front of her.

Ari blinked, nerves rising. Any of the few memories she had gotten back flew to the four winds. What the heck was she supposed to do?

Danni took the matter out of her hands by starting the conversation. "Well. Thought we'd find you here."

"Why?" Ari asked, feeling hopelessly out of touch.

Joanne giggled, bouncing on the balls of her feet, pushing the glasses she wore up the bridge of her nose. "Because you're always at the Lab, silly!"

"Really," Ari replied, trying to sound like she already knew that. Judging by Danni's incredulous look, it didn't fool anyone.

"Yeah," she said, "And we'd be here waiting for you until you finally decided to leave."

"Sorry," Ari mumbled finally, "I forgot."

Danni's next look was even more disdainful.

"Las time we checked, it was one of the highlights of your weekend," she almost sneered, "Maybe you _did_ take a blow to the head."

Joanne elbowed Danni hard, shooting her a warning look. "Anyway," she said, before Danni could start again, "We were wondering if you wanted to take a walk with us around the edge of town."

Remembering how they had found her, Ari managed a mischievous smile.

"Is it just me, or do you take these kinds of things often?" she commented.

At this, Joanne elbowed Danni again.

"Ow!" the black-haired girl interjected, "Okay, it _hurts_ when you do it that often, you know!"

"See?" Joanne informed Danni gleefully, ignoring her disgruntled comment, "Same old Ari."

Massaging the side of her arm and mumbling what Ari was _highly_ sure weren't blessings under her breath, Danni grumbled, "Let's go."

* * *

"So, what's happened since I've been gone?" Ari asked, biting into an apple she had bought before leaving town. The leafy branches cast soft shadows over the ground, making it more comfortable than in the bare open-ness that the town usually consisted of. 

"Didn't you talk to you mom?" Joanne asked curiously.

"Yes," Ari said evasively, not wanting to admit that she hadn't talked to anybody that much at all, "But she didn't say anything about you two."

Joanne raised her eyebrows and glanced over at Danni, clearly waiting for her to speak. Danni said nothing, but a characteristic smirk appeared on her face. Silently, she reached into her belt pack and pulled out a round object. A red-and-white round object that grew in her hand until it had changed from the size of a golf ball to a large softball.

Ari, who had just been taking another bit of apple, choked, dropping the rest of the fruit. Joanne pounded on her back until she could breathe again.

"When did you become a trainer?!" Ari gasped finally, cheeks flushed. As Danni twirled the Pokeball around on her index finger, Ari added, "And where'd you learn to do _that?_"

Danni's smirk deepened.

"'Bout a month ago," she replied, her eyes following the red-and-white blur.

"You got the Pokemon, or learned the twirly thingy?" Ari frowned.

Danni snorted. "I got Gecko here," she replied, before grabbing the ball and tossing it high into the air.

"Gecko! Go!" she shouted. Light flared as the Pokeball opened and a Treecko formed in front of them. The ball flew back into Danni's hand, and she pocketed it.

Ari stared from the Pokemon to Danni. Ari's apple lay forgotten. "Why?" she croaked, "You're over fourteen! Most trainers have earned all their badges by now. Some have even gotten close to starting Gyms!"

Danni shrugged. "I was ready to leave this backwater town," she said coolly.

Ari turned to face Joanne, "Did you-"

"No," Joanne interrupted, shaking her head, "Danni's changed a bit but I haven't. I didn't want to leave Littleroot."

"Speaking of which," Ari added, looking back over at Danni, "If you're so ready to leave, why are you still here? Why aren't you adventuring for badges and stuff like that?" A particularly amusing memory had just come to the forefront. Seizing it, she continued, "If I recall, you used to always say that those Gym leaders were so darn puffed-up and cocky they couldn't take on a real challenger. Come to think of it, though, I think that they weren't the ones that were puffed-up and cocky at the time."

Danni shot her a death glare, one that promised trouble if they met in a dark alleyway anytime soon. Joanne giggled.

Grinning, Ari glanced down to see the Treecko, Gecko watching them crossly. First, they had called him out of his Pokeball for no apparent reason, and now, they ignored him. He was not happy.

"Sorry little guy," she said, crouching down till they were on a level. She met an even more irritable glare. "Oops, sorry. Not so little guy."

As she stared into his yellow eyes, they widened abruptly. Without preamble, he began to inspect her inch by inch.

_By the trinities, does he know?_ Ari thought, shocked, _How would he know what I did there? It was another world!_

Danni frowned down at them. "Funny," she said, "Usually he's not like this. Bit friendly for him. But then again, that's why I picked him. He has attitude."

"He's not the only one," Joanne muttered.

Danni's head snapped around.

"You want to say that again?"

"No, she won't," Ari interrupted, "Because I will!"

"Okay, that's it," Danni snapped.

"Uh-oh," Ari muttered, getting to her feet and turning to run. She got three feet when a furious blur tackled her to the ground. Thus began an all-out play wrestling match, with Danni trying furiously to pin Ari down, and Ari gleefully trying to escape Danni, and Joanne hovering around them, pleading them to stop.

It wasn't until she shouted "STOP IT!" that both girls froze, Danni having almost succeeded in her quest of pinning Ari to the ground. They both glared up at her.

"What?" Danni interjected.

Joanne pointed.

Ari craned her neck, trying to see. It only earned her a possibly strained neck muscle.

"Oi, Danni! Get off!" she growled.

"Oops." Danni rolled off her, and they both got to their feet. "Sorry"

"Okay, next time you two are going to act like you're six, will you give me some warning?" Joanne snapped, "Honestly."

Danni was about to make a sharp reply when Ari poked her and pointed. "Will you two shut up and take a look at this?"

They turned.

Gecko was crouched down in a battle stance, glaring at a Pokemon barely fifteen feet away. Ari blinked. It was a wild Poochyena, running around in circles, barking manically. Danni's face suddenly settled into a set expression. She reached towards her belt-pouch for a Pokeball.

"Wait," Ari ordered, seeing what Danni had in mind. Something was not right here.

Joanne seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"What's it doing?" she asked, as a scowling Danni put away the Pokeball, "And why's it so close?"

Ari shrugged, slowly moving forward, holding a hand out for it to sniff. Now that it had their attention, the Poochyena was standing stock-still, staring at them. When she was barely three feet away, though, it suddenly turned and ran away. Danni let out an angry noise that was cut off in surprise when the Poochyena stopped ten feet away and started running around in circles again. Ari tried again with the same results.

Finally, she looked back at Danni and Joanne. "I think we're supposed to follow it," she said, scratching her head.

And so it was. The Poochyena led them through several clearings. Gecko followed the group, looking sullen that he didn't get to battle anything. The sun inched past its zenith and began its decent.

Finally, the reached a clearing when the Poochyena didn't run forward when they got too close. Ari blinked, slightly sickened with what she saw. Behind her, Danni sucked in her breath. Joanne gasped.

It was clear that there had been some kind of fight. The ground had been violently torn up all around. Bushes along the edges of the clearing had branches that had been recently and brutally broken. Scraps of fur littered the upturned earth. However, the shocking thing was the three baby Zigzagoon huddled in the middle, making the kind of noises the twins did when they'd been frightened when they were little.

Ari felt something nudge her leg. Looking down, she saw the Poochyena. It pawed her foot and whined. Nodding, Ari slowly took a step forward and another, until she was standing above them. They cringed away from her. They were too little to have learned how to say their own name, as most Zigzagoon did, and instead made little whining noises, trying to get away from her.

"Shhh…." She whispered, kneeling quickly and petting them soothingly until their struggles slowed to a quiet trembling. By the time she managed that, Joanne and Danni were kneeling beside her.

"What should we do?" Joanne breathed, looking down at them pityingly, "Where's their mother?"

Ari looked around the clearing. "I think that's what happened here. Their mother won't be coming back, that's for sure. Someone else will need to take care of them now.

Joanne simply nodded. Danni said nothing. Ari turned to look at her dark-haired friend. To her shock, Danni was staring at the baby Zigzagoon with overbright eyes. Her face was stony. Quiet anger and shock emanated from the girl.

_So she does have a soft side,_ Ari realized guiltily,_ I've forgotten about it._

But as she was watching, Danni shook her head as if breaking out of a reverie. Both Ari and Joanne waited for her to say something. Instead, she turned to Gecko.

"Sorry buddy," she said, taking out his Pokeball, "Sorry that I ignored you. I'll make it up to you some time."

"Gecko, return!" she called, and with another bright flash of light, the Treecko vanished back inside his Pokeball.

Silence reigned for a moment. Finally Danni turned to face them again.

"Well," she sighed, looking down at the baby Zigzagoon, "If we each take one, we can carry them all back in one trip. I'm assuming we're not going to leave them here, right?"

"Of course not!" Joanne exclaimed.

"Well then, Ari, you give Joanne and me one and then take one for yourself, and then we'll head home," Danni instructed.

Picking one up, Ari glanced over at Danni with raised eyebrows. "Don't scare them," she warned half-sternly, half-teasingly, passing her the smallest.

Danni snorted, "As if."

"Hey," Joanne piped up suddenly, "Where's the Poochyena that led us here?" All three looked around.

It was gone.

* * *

They walked in silence for a long time, each locking their own thoughts behind blank faces, some better than others. 

Finally, Ari broke the tense quiet. "So what else has happened while I've been gone?"

"Not much," Danni shrugged, "Usually it's pretty quiet around here."

Ari rolled her eyes. "I don't think there _is_ a starter town that's a bustling metropolis, is there. Littleroot, Pallet town, and – darn it… What's the one in the Jhoto region again?"

"New Bark Town," Joanne supplied quietly, "And you're right. It's kinda odd, but starter towns are pretty small most of the time." She gently petted the baby Zigzagoon she was holding as it dozed lightly in her arms, looking down at it lovingly.

"Don't get attached, Jo," Ari teased.

"I'm not!" Joanne replied coolly.

"Suuure…" Ari replied sarcastically.

"Well, they're babies!" Joanne interjected, keeping her voice quiet enough not to wake the Pokemon she was holding, and not a bit more, "Who _wouldn't_ get attached!"

"Whoever made these guys' mother disappear didn't," Danni interrupted sourly, "If they had cared, they would have left them well enough alone!"

Silence broke out again.

"Way to end a conversation, Danni," Ari said finally.

The girl flashed a toothy grin. "'ts what I do best."

"So what are you going to do with the Zigzagoon, Ari?" Joanne asked, "Assuming you'll be the one to look after them, of course."

"I was thinking about taking them to the lab tomorrow," Ari said, "Professor Birch will know what to do, or at least know what I'll need to do to take care of them."

"Oh for goodness sake, not another one of your strays!" Danni snapped suddenly.

"Wha-"

"Danni, come on," Joanne interrupted, "These babies need to be looked after and you know it! Would you rather we had just left them back there?"

"What are you-?"

But Danni talked over her, "I didn't decide to stay here a little longer just to be shunted aside for three idiot Zigzagoon!"

"_What are you talking about!?"_ Ari cried, earning a glare from Joanne when the baby Zigzagoon in the other girl's arms stirred and fussed.

"Forget this," Danni snapped, she lengthened her stride until she was far ahead down the path.

"Don't you remember, Ari?" Joanne asked, confused, peering at her over the edge of her glasses. Ari shook her head. "You used to sometimes find a Pokemon that needed help. One time you had a Taillow with a broken wing, and another there was a Wurmple that needed help before it could turn into a Silcoon. Danni's mad because whenever you'd have one, you'd always have to rush home to them. Remember earlier, when you asked why Danni hadn't gone on her journey yet? I asked her to wait when she first got her Pokemon. After a while, she was going to go anyway. Then you came back, and she put it off again. Now she thinks that you're going to be spending all your time caring for these guys, and she might as well have gone."

Ari felt the heat rising in her face. "Sorry…" she mumbled.

Joanne shrugged. "I'm not the one going on a journey soon. It doesn't bother me. I think it was lucky that that Poochyena found us."

_Found me,_ Ari thought,_ You mean found me._ However, she stayed silent. If she had said anything, she might have said something that would have forced her to tell Joanne what happened, and the last thing she needed was anyone thinking she was insane.

But the point was, the normally hostile Gecko had been fascinated with her. Then, a Poochyena led her to three Pokemon that needed help. Somehow they knew what had happened. But how? They were two different worlds. It made no sense.

But then again, what about the visit to that world had?

* * *

**Yep, fun to type. Kinda disappointing, because I expected it to end up longer. Oh well.**

**Reviews please! I really do appriciate reviews!**

**Happy Writing!**


	6. Chapter 5: Team Littlewood

**Poor Karlie. Poor, poor Karlie. Well, the chapter was kind of hard to write except for the beginning and what I call "the awesome power of flashbacks."**

**Guys, the time that I dreaded and feared at the same time has come. This fic is borderline to going into hiatus. I hate it, but I've been having a lot of trouble finding time to work on it, and I don't seem to like what I'm writing. We'll see. I'm doing my best.**

**Enjoy!

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**

Disclaimer: If I really owned Pokemon, I probably would have come up with some new concepts long before 2006. Either that or horribly messed it up. Whichever comes first.

Littlewood

"Come on, Karlie, wake up!" a small voice pleaded. Karlie grumbled and turned away from the voice, trying to fall back to sleep.

The voice spoke again. "Come on, Karlie. _Pleeeaaasee?"_

"I don't wane get up," Karlie whined faintly.

The voice said nothing for several moments. Karlie let out an internal sigh of relief. Now for some _sleep_…

**Splat**.

Karlie jumped up, reaching frantically for her face. Instead, she found some sticky, stringy substance. _String Shot,_ she realized. But the other part of her quickly concluded that the situation was very serious. The String shot had cut off any method for her to get air, and try as she might, she couldn't get the stuff off. Instead, she just proceeded to get her feet stuck as well.

Finally, she slumped over, exhausted, resigning herself to death by suffocation because some idiot thought it would be a good way to get her up. However, just as she thought this, something gripped a bit of String shot covering her face and peeled it off enough for her to breathe.

Karlie lay there for a minute, stars dancing in her eyes, as a tiny little something dragged off, with obvious difficulty, the bits of sticky silk it had fired. As her vision cleared, Karlie glanced around to see her attacker and savior: Caterpie.

"What-" she gasped, "was that about?"

Caterpie looked at her guiltily.

"Sorry," the bug Pokemon said apologetically, "It's just that you wouldn't get up, even though I said please. And I didn't think it would be this hard to get off."

"And _why_, in the name of all that is sane and decent, would you _want_ to get me up?"

"I have a surprise for you!" Caterpie replied happily.

Karlie blinked. "Huh?"

"Come on, Karlie," Caterpie pleaded, "It's great!"

"I don't know, Caterpie," Karlie started.

"Please, Karlie? Pretty please with a Pecha berry on top?" Caterpie begged.

Karlie stared into those pleading eyes. _Eyes that would make an Onix melt,_ she thought. With a sigh, she asked, "Where is it?"

"Whiscash's pond, I'll take you there," Caterpie said, looking positively delighted that Karlie had given in.

Slowly, Karlie nodded and began to follow Caterpie outside. However, a sudden thought made her freeze and glare at the tiny Bug Pokemon suspiciously.

It took a moment for Caterpie to realize her charge was not following her. "What's wrong, Karlie?" she asked, confused.

"Did Alakazam put you up to this?" Karlie asked.

"Huh?"

"Did Alakazam ask you to keep me around Pokemon Square?"

"No!" Caterpie interjected, but she didn't quite meet Karlie's eyes. After a silence she added, "Well, yes he did. But he doesn't know about the surprise!"

Somehow, that didn't reassure Karlie too much, although she resigned herself to finding out whatever the Bug Pokemon had in store for her. It was obvious that Caterpie wouldn't leave her alone until she did.

"What is it then?" she sighed without really thinking about it, walking after Caterpie once more.

The little Bug Pokemon laughed back at her. "But then it wouldn't be a surprise!" she called in a singsong voice.

Karlie couldn't help but roll her eyes good-naturedly. Caterpie had been the first Pokemon that she and Ari had saved. The Bug Pokemon was always one of Team Westwood's biggest supporters, and was one of the few who had believed Ari was innocent when she was accused of involvement in the Ninetales legend. But she was still just a child, and it showed.

Caterpie led her through Pokemon Square, chattering endlessly. Karlie felt like a Bug Pokemon pinned on a card after the embarrassment of the day before. Eyes, some imagined, some real, follow them as they turned and headed northward to Whiscash's Pond.

She let out a sort of sigh of relief as the town was soon screened by the undergrowth and Whiscash's Pond. However, any relief she felt soon turned to dismay when she saw a small group of Pokemon near the water's edge. She didn't feel like talking to sympathetic groups beguiling her with pointless pity, claiming they understood when they didn't.

"Hey!" Caterpie called, predictably leading Karlie right over to the group. They turned. Karlie found herself facing what seemed to be the earliest and most supportive Pokemon she and Ari had rescued. Suddenly, a memory flashed to the forefront of her mind…

* * *

_It was before dawn, too early for any sane Pokemon to be up, yet one was. A Chikorita glanced around in front of a base not too far from Pokemon Square. Team Westwood's base. Suddenly, a second Pokemon, a Totodile, scurried up furtively._

_The Chikorita turned. "Did you get anything, Ari?" she asked._

_The Totodile shook her head. "I couldn't, not without waking anyone up. Sorry Karlie." She let out a sigh, "Well, if that's all, I guess we'd better get going."_

_The Chikorita nodded, "I guess we should."_

_They turned to leave, the Chikorita looking behind them regretfully._

_Noticing her friend's uncertainty, the Totodile stopped._

"_You don't have to do this," she said, "You could stay Karlie. It's going to be rough out there and this is my problem. I wouldn't blame you…"_

_The Chikorita thought it over. She didn't want to go. No one knew what lay where they were heading. It would be so easy. Just turn around and go back to bed. _

_But._

_This was Ari, her friend. She had made it possible for Karlie to be part of a rescue team. And they had done everything together. They had beaten a _Legendary Pokemon_, for goodness sake! And she wouldn't have been able to liver with herself knowing that she had stayed behind while Ari faced death, either from the dungeons or by the rescue teams trying so desperately to destroy her._

_And most of all, despite what she had said, Ari would never forgive her._

_The Chikorita shook her head. "No, I'm coming."_

_They had barely taken two steps when a voice called behind them, "Wait!" The Totodile flinched. Not surprising, as her life was on the line._

_However, it was only Caterpie, followed by a Metapod, two Jumpluff, and two Magnemite._

"_We wanted to say goodbye," Caterpie said tearfully._

_One of the Jumpluff nodded. "We know you're innocent."_

"_Yep," came a muffled voice beneath their feet. Next moment, the Chikorita and the Totodile jumped back as a Diglett popped up practically beneath their feet. "You'll prove it to them, we know you will."_

_The Magnemite and Metapod also gave similar affirmation. Just as the two thought they couldn't withstand any more tearful goodbyes, the Pelipper, who had always delivered their mail, came by with a note of his own, telling them he awaited the day he could bring them mail again._

_The Chikorita was in tears by then, and judging by the Totodile's expression, she wouldn't be far behind._

_Finally, the latter turned and said in a voice that cracked, "Well, I guess we need to go, Karlie. Goodbye everyone," she gulped, "Thanks."_

_The Chikorita followed the Totodile down the path to the unknown, looking back more than once at the group cheering them on.

* * *

_

And suddenly the vision changed. She was at Whiscash's pond, not the team's base, and instead of Pelipper, Whiscash himself was there, in the water.

"So, what's going on?" she asked finally.

Caterpie said quietly, watching her, "We saw that you're sad."

"You and the rest of this world," Karlie mumbled angrily.

"WE WERE THINKING BZZZZZT…" one of the Magnemite continued.

"And I think they came up with a pretty good idea," Whiscash finished.

"What?" Karlie asked again.

"We want to make a rescue team with you!" Caterpie squealed with excitement. Karlie could tell that now that they had gotten to the point, the Bug Pokemon was excited.

We may not know that much right now, but we can learn," Metapod explained eagerly, "And we'll just do easy missions first."

Karlie glanced up at Whiscash. "Are you in on this?"

"Oh no," Whiscash laughed, "These youngsters just came to me for advice. I think it's a splendid idea."

The others were all looking at her with Igglybuff eyes.

"I can't guys," Karlie sighed regretfully, "I promised Alakazam I wouldn't go on anymore missions."

Caterpie let out an impatient noise and started to say something, but was interrupted by one of the Jumpluff, who was looking triumphant.

"No you didn't!" she volunteered, "I heard you. You promised you wouldn't go on any more _dangerous_ missions! So if they're safe, you're okay!"

Pikachu's thunder, the eyes were back. But she couldn't say no, and she didn't really think she wanted to.

"Okay," She smiled, and it was much closer to a real smile than she had done in a long time.

The group cheered.

"What about your parents?" Karlie asked suddenly, turning to Diglett and Caterpie and Metapod, "Are they okay with this?"

Diglett finally spoke up after a long silence, "We didn't tell them. I don't think my papa would like it, though." Caterpie and Metapod nodded in agreement.

And Alakazam still wouldn't like it, I'm sure, even if it is safe, Karlie reflected.

"Then we're going to have to keep this a secret, okay guys?" They all nodded. "Okay, then it's all settled. Should we meet here tomorrow, then?"

"Wait, what about a name?" Caterpie interrupted, "we liked yours-"

Karlie shook her head firmly, "No. It brings up too many memories. We need a name of our own."

The all thought for a while, mentioning and discarding names. Nothing seemed to fit. They were either to silly, or they didn't feel right, or they reminded them too much of things they'd rather forget.

"Littlewood," Diglett piped up suddenly, startling them all, "Wood for Ari. Little because we're starting small."

Karlie nodded, it sounded right.

"Okay," she told them all, some of the old light starting to come back in her eyes, "From now on we are Team Littlewood."

* * *

**So, what do you think? I dunno. I really do like flashbacks, but maybe that was a bit much? Well, we've now reached the last part where I knew what I was going to write, and are moving into territory where I'm starting to not like as much what I wrote... Ah well.**

**I'll try and get the next chapter up soon, I promise.**

**Happy writing!**

**fallingautumnleaves**


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